Without A Home
by HiddenInARose
Summary: A girl who believes in the Ancient Greek gods and then finds out  something that changes her life. She searches for the parent she never knew  she even had but with a lot of twists involved.
1. Chapter 1

**Dear Diary, **** 5-11-07**

** My religion is half Hellenic-Neo Paganism half Buddhist. Yeah I know what you're thinking, what the Hades is Hellenic-Neo Paganism? Or how can you be half a religion? Well Hellenic-Neo Paganism is the religion where people worship ancient Greek gods. How you can be half a religion is a little more complicated.**

** You see worshiping gods that not very many people worship makes it harder to follow rituals. I felt at first when I started this religion that I couldn't meditate anymore or do any of the other weird things I used to. Before I was half Buddhism half Hellenic-Neo Paganism, I was 60% reincarnation, meditation, and pretty much a Buddhist and 40% a Christian. I'm a very complicated person.**

** I guess I should tell more about my physical properties. Hmmm… My name is Lilly Hart and I'm 16 years old. This is only the second diary I've ever owned and the first one I only wrote on a ¼ of the pages. My hair is brown but it's so dark most people think it's black. It's about waist length and extremely curly. I have big hazel eyes and I'm only 5'2" even though my mom is above six foot. No one knows where or who I actually got it from though.**

** My mother thinks I got my height from my dad. When I was born my dad ran out of the hospital and my mom never saw him again. He was only 5'4" or so I've heard. His hair was blond and he had hazel eyes but I got my hair color from my mom.**

** Well I have to go now. It's past one and I'm only supposed to be up until midnight. Plus I think I hear my mom.**

**Love,**

** Lilly Hart**

**Dear Diary, **** 5-14-07**

** I'm almost to the end of the school year! Only a month left! My boyfriend well ex-boyfriend and current best friend are so pumped. I just got back from school and Emily Rhoads (my worst enemy) called me a bunch of nasty names. She is the preppiest, snottiest girl I've EVER met.**

** I'm a bad girl and she's a very dedicated Christian. Apparently I'm going to the devil when I die because I'm a nonbeliever and get into trouble a lot. **

** I go to a school that helps kids with learning disabilities and anger issues. I have ADHD and dyslexia; talk about problems! I used to go to a regular school for normal people but I got expelled. The reason is because I had an F in every class and stole everything from the principal's office. **

** I know I sound like a trouble making flunk out but I am so believe it. Emily makes my life a living Hades and causes me a lot of stress because of her taunting. **

** I've known her since eighth grade when I first started going to my special school. She acts like she's all perfect but she has been there even longer than me so she's not. Every day she punches me in the arm and says, "Hey nonbeliever!" What really bugs me is that she says it really happy and stuff.**

** Enough about her… I have a poem that I wrote that is amazing!**

_**Living a life**_

_**That I apparently deserve.**_

_**All the problems in my life,**_

_**Along with the woes of Earth.**_

_**Pranks and tricks**_

_**The only things fun.**_

_**What's left in the world **_

_**For me**_

_**Besides these things?**_

_**Just leave me alone**_

_**To live my so called life.**_

** I'm thinking about putting a poem in every entry but I don't know. So more about my mom… She is my best friend besides my ex. We almost never fight which is awesome because I do a lot of yell worthy stuff. My mom has green eyes, black hair, and is really skinny. She can even fit into my jeans and I'm size one. Lastly her name is Molly. Her last name is different but my dad and she were never married so I got his last name instead of hers.**

** Well bye. **

**Love,**

** Lillian**


	2. Chapter 2

**Dear Diary,**** Tuesday May 15, 2007**

** Ah! I hate Emily! I hate her! I hate her! Today she spread around the whole school that when Jake (my best friend) and I were still dating I cheated on him! Ah! I didn't and she knows it!**

** Well I guess now it's time to tell you about Jake and me… When I walked into school for the time Jake was the first to greet me. We started hanging out and eventually **_**I**_** asked **_**him **_**out. Jake got in a car accident when he was four and has to use crutches.**

** Nothing too bad happened during our relationship. He fended off Emily from me and we had some great times (not including when we fought). Our break up was just casual; he told me he just wanted to be friends and I agreed. We broke up in ninth grade and have been best friends ever since.**

** You might be thinking: isn't it awkward being best buddies with your ex? Well surprising no, completely natural.**

** Jake is always saying, "You're destined for great things." Whenever he says that I ask, "What do you mean by that?" Then he just changes the subject. **

** Jake has bright green eyes and extremely curly brown hair. He always wears a random baseball cap and baggy jeans. He's taller than my mom even and has pretty bad acne on his face.**

**Back to Emily, I don't know how she found out about spin-the-bottle in ninth grade. Here's the story for that: I was at a party. I bet you're thinking oh no already; well don't because it wasn't **_**that **_**kind of party. It was just a harmless kiss on the cheek and Emily wasn't even at that party. It wasn't even cheating though! I didn't even want to play. Jessica just dragged me over and wouldn't let me leave.**

** Love,**

** Lilly**

**Dear Diary,**** 5-18-2007**

** Finally it's the weekend! This week just dragged on and on and on and on. It's probably about 4p.m. right now with still no plans for the weekend. But on Monday I'm going to tear Emily to shreds! HA! HA! HA! HA!**

** She just took it too far this time. Emily called me a bunch more nasty names and now's she has even posted on the school board that I'm a lying, cheating, nonbeliever. Jake hasn't even talked to me for a whole day which is an eternity for me considering that we talk every single day.**

**Here is a poem:**

_**Sitting down all alone, **_

_**No friends,**_

_**And no happiness.**_

_**Living in a hollow life**_

_**Completely submerged underneath the water. **_

**Wait! Got to go! Jake just texted me!**

** Love,**

** Lilly**


	3. Chapter 3

**Dear Diary, **** Sunday 5-20-07**

** Ok, Jake and I are completely fine now. He wasn't even at school on Friday so he didn't see the billboard. The paper has been mysteriously ripped down so no chance he'll see it. I can't believe I didn't even notice he wasn't at school! So unlike me…**

** Yesterday we hung out at the pizzeria downtown. My gods! I'm so forgetful; I haven't even told you about where I live. I live in sunny Tampa, Florida in an exceptionally large apartment. The apartment is almost too big for just the two us so we're considering moving to a smaller one.**

** Love,**

** The Lilly Pad**

**Dear Diary, **** Tuesday May 22, 2007**

** So the weirdest thing happened to me yesterday. I was driving to school in my purple and black 1993 Slug bug and I saw three old ladies knitting the same neon green, seven foot long scarf. They looked at me and I thought I was going to die because I saw my life flash before my eyes and I almost wrecked. One of the three snipped the yarn and then it was as if they vanished. To get them off my mind I blasted my music so loud I couldn't even think. The song, I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At the Disco was what saved my mind.**

** When I told Jake at school later that day he momentarily looked freaked out and then said, "Oh, probably nothing." I really don't get him.**

** So Emily and I are done with our fighting. I finally beat the insults out of her and now we're neutral. She has a black eye and I have a bruised nose but other than that we're pretty much ok.**

** Oh yeah… I just remembered something. Well two things exactly: 1. I have decided to take the path of Artemis and no longer date and 2. Jake, this girl, Willow Star, and I are starting a band. We're bringing back music that has died like techno and stuff like that. We haven't decided on a name yet but we're close.**

** Love,**

** Lilly**

**Dear Diary, **** May 25, 2007**

** Our band is going good. We've even decided on a name: Randomness. That's an awesome, right? One of my life's dreams is being fulfilled and we even have a gig at the café downtown across from the pizzeria! Boring day besides practice…**

** So it was a normal practice except we put aside some time to get to know each other. I found out a few things about Jake that I didn't know like that his parents were never home because they worked in Orlando. We decided who's going to do what. Jake is going to play guitar, Willow is going to play the drums, and I'm going to sing.**

** Willow is medium sized in height (probably about 5'5") with stormy blue eyes and short hair. I think she's a demigod daughter of Apollo. **

** About demigods; I think I might a child of Apollo also. I feel a connection to Willow that almost feels like the bond of a sibling. Besides her I've always been very creative and I love the sun. I could never tell my mom this because she doesn't approve of my religion.**

** She's a monotheist and thinks that my gods are just myths. That was about the only fight we ever got in, but believe me, the fight was HUGE! I almost ran away but we made up.**

** Love,**

** -The Lilly Pad-**

**Dear Diary,**** 5-26-07**

** My mom and I got in a fight and I stormed out of the house. I stupidly asked her if my dad was Apollo and she freaked out. I can't really remember the fight because I'm still so mad.**

** When I stormed out of the house I grabbed my stash of money that I've been saving ever since I was eight. Occasionally I borrowed from the stash but this time I took it all. I started driving with my stash of three-thousand one-hundred dollars and decided never to look back. I got all that money from working odd jobs, babysitting, and of course seven dollars a week for allowance.**

** Of course I had to go back though because I realized I had no clothes. When I went in I avoided my mother, grabbed a bag, and stuffed in all the things I thought I would need. I managed to cram in my poetry, a couple books, seven sets of clothes, my laptop, my phone, and of course my diary.**

** Right now I'm on Jake's couch writing in this diary and using a lamp to see. I had nowhere else to go besides Willow's (her parents wouldn't have let me stay anyways) so I came here. Jake is in his room snoring. If I didn't know any better I'd think that he was running a chainsaw in there. He told me that tomorrow we'd ho get Willow and go someplace special. I asked him where but he said that it's secret. I dug and dug for even the slightest hint but failed at my life or death mission.**

** I guess you could call Willow my best friend. I mean she is the only other real friend I have besides Jake (and my mom). The only flaw that might prove me wrong about her being a demigod is that she has both parents. Other than that she has the other two major signs: ADHD and dyslexia. You may be wondering **_**Why ADHD and Dyslexia? **_** Well the answer to that is I was reading this book called ****Percy Jackson and the Olympians**** by Rick Riordan (which by the way I do not own and he is the rightful owner of) and that's what it says demigods usually have.**

**ADHD: Battle instincts; something that will keep you alive in a battle**

**Dyslexia: The knowledge of Greek language; being born wired for Greek writing.**

** So about Willow's back story… Her parents were never married and she switches off between them. She spends most of her time with her dad, then ¼ of it with her mom, then the rest of it with Jake and me. She and her mom get along pretty well. Willow's dad and she are best buddies but she told me he feels more like a friend than a real dad to her. She currently is single and her religion is Hinduism.**

** Love,**

** Lillian **


	4. Chapter 4

Dear Diary, 6-9-2007

I will begin the journey to tell my awesome experience. Trust me that this all happened but it felt unreal. I'm going to tell it in the form of a story though because that's easier. In this amazing tale secrets will be revealed and a lot of astounding things will happen. It took a couple days to unravel what really happened but I've got it straight now. I might accidentally modify things a bit but that's it.

It was a rainy Sunday morning. I liked it when it rained even though it was gloomy. I had decided that I was going to continue to go to school since I only had a month left. And besides, I wasn't _that_ stupid. As I was looking out the window Jake snuck up behind me which seemed impossible with his crutches and all.

"Boo!" He yelled

"Ah!" I screamed.

"Gotcha," Jake snickered.

"Whatever. Don't get your pants in a twist." Jake looked genuinely hurt and I, of course, immediately started to apologize.

"Ha! Gotcha again!" Then I pushed him. "So you know that surprise destination I told you about?"

"Yeah," I said getting my hopes up.

"I'm not going to tell you until we're on our way." I pushed him again and he fell back onto the couch I had slept on.


	5. Chapter 5

We were on our way to Willow's (me driving of course). Jake still hadn't given me the tiniest hint as to where we were going. He had to tell me eventually otherwise I wouldn't know where to go. It was really infuriating.

"Jake?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think I was wrong to leave my mom?"

"Not really, I think it was a long time coming until you left."

"I see."

"The reason you left is actually viciously funny and ironic."

"What do you mean?"

"Did your mom ever tell you how long she carried you?"

"She never really told me but I assume nine months like a regular child."

"You're not a regular child, Lilly."

That was when I slammed down on the breaks. I was in the middle of a freeway and a lot of cars honked at me. I slowly pushed my foot down on the ignition and felt unable to talk as I sorted out my mind. Jake remained silent because I think he knew what I was thinking about or at least what I was feeling.

How could I have not seen all the signs? Elfish features, ADHD, my love for practical jokes and pranks, why my mom got so upset about my religion, and the reason she started giggling when I asked if Apollo was my dad.

Wait! I had thought. Jake! I felt so stupid and oblivious to the truth. The crutches, the hat, and the weird things he always said. EW! I dated a satyr! I mean I suspected that I was a demigod but I never thought that he might be a satyr. And the destination; maybe that was somewhere else but it might have been Long Island. Or in other words: Camp Half-Blood.

"Hermes is my dad and you're a satyr," I whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I am."

"The satyr thing is completely correct but the Hermes thing I'm not so sure about."

"But that means I'm a half-blood, right?"

"Yes."

"Ah!" I screamed joyfully.

"Yeah… And you know what the funniest part is?"

"What?"

"You dated me."

"I know and once I realized that I had dated a satyr I thought it was gross."

"Hey, well it's not too common. A satyr dating a half-blood."

"Weird, huh?"

"Yep," he said popping his lips when he said the P.


	6. Chapter 6

At Willow's as soon as she opened the door, we grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to my car. Right before we got her, Jake confirmed my theory and told me that Willow was indeed, a demigod. Willow's religion and all was a different story than me. Telling her that Greek gods are real was one story but convincing her that she was a daughter of one was almost impossible.

It was really awkward when Jake pulled his pants off and his "feet." You should have seen how wide Willow's eyes got when she saw his furry hindquarters and hooves.

"Um… I think you need to seriously consider shaving," Willow suggested.

"No. I'm a satyr and you are a demigod."

"There is no way. You mean demigod as in daughter of a single Greek god? They don't exist."

"Try telling that to them," I muttered under my breath.

"Look you'll have all the proof you need when we get there." Jake explained.

"Where's there?" Willow asked.

"Camp Half-Blood, of course," I explained.

"What is Camp Half-Blood?"

"You'll see when we get there," Jake answered.

"How long will it take to get there anyways?" I asked.

"Oh, only about nineteen hours," Jake explained.

"Nineteen hours? I hope I don't have to chip in for gas," Willow said.

"Can we just go? It's nine now, if we don't leave this instant we won't be there by three," I yelled.

"Three in the morning?" Willow exclaimed with wide eyes.  
>Jake pretended to lock his lips and throw away the key while I pushed her into the backseat of my car. Willow could have taken it way worse especially if she only believed in a single god because transitioning from one god into many can be really hard. Hinduism does in a way believe in only one god but there are many parts of him called gods so it's different.<p>

All during the drive there, it was pretty much silent. Except, at one point around two in the afternoon, I started singing one of our songs and Jake started singing along with me while Willow drummed her hands on the back of my seat. We kept this up until we had sung to every one of our songs. We only had five but still, it was fun.

After that I cracked up the radio. At some points I heard Willow singing along or Jake sometimes at the same time. I was singing along too but no one sung with me. I guess we all just felt like singing.


	7. Chapter 7

So there we were standing at the top of Half-Blood Hill with a gigantic pine tree next to us.

"There's your proof," Jake said.

"What kind of proof is that? I need more," Willow urged.

We'd slept in the car for a few hours because we decided (well, Willow demanded) that we didn't want to go there while it was still dark. As we walked down into the camp we saw campers in bright orange tee shirts playing volleyball with satyrs not wearing pants. Dryads were transforming in and out of tree form while they had conversations with shrubs. Then I realized that this didn't look anything like Camp Half-Blood described in the book. Then as if Jake read my mind, he answered my thought.

"I know it doesn't look like the Percy Jackson Camp Half-Blood but we only gave Rick limited information. We didn't even allow him to use the real names of people here. Well, except Thalia… He gave her a happy fate when sadly she still sits up on the hill."

"So none of those characters existed and the plot wasn't real?" I asked.

"Nope, most of it was a lie."

"What about the attributes of a demigod?"

"That was the truth, same with the Empire State Building, and Thalia as I already told you."

"So Dionysus doesn't really work here?"

"Nope."

"Ok, then. One more question though… Isn't it strange that on our way here no monsters tried to attack us?"

"Now that I think about it, yes. We did limit our stops and we had one person watch while the other two slept but if there was a monster near us they should have found us."

"That's weird…"

Willow was just staring at us like we were freaks but I knew she'd come around soon. There was a guy in a wheelchair up ahead up us sitting next to a white column. As soon as I saw him I screamed, "CHIRON!" He looked over, while touching his hand to his ear, and smiled.

"My gods girl! You scream loud!" Chiron said.

Blushing I replied, "Oh yeah, sorry."

"How do you know him?" Willow whispered in my ear.

"Percy Jackson and my religion being Hellenic-Neo Paganism."

"Oh right," she said sarcastically.

All three of us walked over to Chiron. He was a middle aged look man with salt and pepper hair and goatee. He was tanned in the general area of his face, was muscular and had dark eyes.

"So some new recruits, eh?"

"Yes, I originally found Lilly here," Jake said gesturing to me, "but she's a natural born Keeper and found Willow herself."

"Ah yes, I've heard all about you Lilly. Determined or undetermined?" Chiron said glancing at the two of us.

"Well Lilly thinks she's a daughter of Hermes, but with Willow I have no clue."

When Jake said that Willow opened her mouth to speak but then quickly closed it again. Being there was like a dream come true. It was all I'd ever wanted and I had the proof that gods were real all around me. It wasn't like I could show anyone though because they wouldn't believe me. And anyways they wouldn't be able to get through the magical barriers.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see if they get claimed," Jake concluded.

"I guess so. For now you'll both be staying in the Hermes cabin." A tall boy walked by. "Oh Seth, can you show these two the way to the Hermes cabin for me?"

"Sure Chiron," Seth agreed.

He was as I said, a tall boy, probably about six foot. Seth looked kind of like me with his elfish features except he had blond hair. His eye color was hazel like hazel like mine.

"Hey, so determined or undetermined?" Seth asked. I was already getting tired of that question.

"Well Lilly is most likely a child of Hermes. Me, well I'm completely undetermined. Until today I haven't even considered the idea of believing in the Greek gods and now I'm getting it shoved in my face!" Willow ranted.

"Oh feisty! Lilly you might be my half-sister then."

"The honor of having a brother of you… I-I'm speechless," I said sarcastically.

"Glad to feel the love," he said ignoring my sarcasm.

Seth held his hand out to Willow and she attempted to shake it. When she tried though she half collapsed in a twitching fit. I just stood there with a shocked expression on my face while Seth burst out laughing. With tears in his eyes, Seth showed me his hand. A joy buzzer, oh great.

"Gets them every time."

"NOT FUNNY!" Willow screamed.

"Really, then why am I still laughing?" I started to smile a little. "See, even she thinks it's funny!"

"Whatever, just take us to the cabin, jerk."


	8. Chapter 8

On the way I saw more Dryads this time playing with satyrs. If you want an accurate description on what the camp looks like, imagine this: a giant rectangle of trees and woods. Inside the woods are monsters (meant for practice) and Zeus' Fist (like in Percy Jackson). A lot of other stuff too but you don't need the details yet.

So outside the woods on the right hand side was the volleyball net, the big house was right across from that, and strawberry fields were diagonally right of the house. If you continue walking to the left you'll see a mess hall with white columns and no walls. Across from that are a fireplace and a campfire pit and in between the two is bright green grass. Continue walking forward and you'll see fourteen cabins, all different, in the shape of a U.

I forgot to mention that at the fire pit were benches forming an octagon around it. Also a young child was tending the flames at the fireplace. When I saw her on the way to the cabins, I waved to her. I look in her eyes and instead of eyes I saw two warm flames. Hestia, the goddess of the Hearth, was the first goddess I'd ever seen.

So the cabins were the shape of a U as I said. I can name them all now according to god. Right next to each other in the middle were the Zeus and Hera cabins.

Zeus: A large mausoleum-looking building that was cloudy grey and flashes of yellow all around it.

Hera: A baby blue mausoleum-looking building with peacock feathers painted on it as well.

I'm just going to say it now; they all look like mini-mausoleums. To the right of the Hera cabin were in this order: Artemis, Demeter, Aphrodite, Athena, and Hestia. On the left of Zeus were Poseidon, Hades, Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus, Dionysus, and Hermes.

Artemis: Silver and ordinary looking.

Demeter: Green with flowers in front and a roof made up of grass.

Aphrodite: Baby pinks with blood-red hearts all over it. A little Eros statue was standing next to the column in front.

Hestia: Red-orange with a little hearth next to the door.

Athena: Grey with a statue of an owl hung over the door.

Poseidon: Made of turquoise sea rocks instead of marble.

Hades: Black onyx with a real skull hanging down like a twisted wind chime.

Ares: Red with a boar over the door.

Apollo: Completely golden.

Hephaestus: Looked like a mini factory made of metal and had smoke coming from the pipes on top.

Dionysus: Purple with grapes vines painted on it.

Hermes: Ordinary camp cabin except with a giant caduceus painted on the front.

Then scattered all around was a sword practicing building, an archery/javelin field, a combat building, a chariot racing track, two rock climbing walls parallel to each other with lava pouring down them, and Pegasus stables. It still felt like a dream.


	9. Chapter 9

When Willow and I walked into the cabin the first thing we saw was a bunch of people. A couple bunk beds were there but they were all taken so people had to use the floor. Seth walked in and plopped himself down on a bottom bunk.

"Listen up everyone! We have two new campers that haven't been claimed yet! This one is Willow and that one's Lilly. Now get them a sleeping bag!" Seth announced.

"Fresh out boss, I'll go steal a few more though," a short girl said.

"S' ok, they can go without for now." Seth handed us both a pillow and blanket, "Hope you like it here."

"Like it? I absolutely love it!" I enthused.

"It's alright," Willow agreed.

I still had my bag in the car and I didn't know what I would do with it yet. Being in a cabin full of thieves, I decided I'd just leave it there.

"How about you come with me and I'll give you guys a tour of the camp."

It was a medium height, muscular guy that appeared to be thirteen. He had green eyes and black hair and was strangely pretty even though he was a male. Possibly a child of Aphrodite?

"That sounds cool," Willow agreed.

"Yeah, sure," I absentmindedly said.

The door was open and I was staring hard at something. I didn't know what it was until I heard screaming.

"MONSTER!"

Most of the people in the cabin jumped up and ran out the door. I watched as they attacked with their swords and defended with their shields. They were all working together like a mechanical arm to defeat the raging monster. Someone managed to stab the thing and it exploded into a pile of greenish-yellow ash. I walked out and approached Seth who helped defend against the horrifying monster.

"What was that?" I asked.

"That was a hellhound," he replied.

"How did it get in?"

"I'm not sure. Someone might have summoned it or it came from the woods by itself; which I doubt."

"On the way here, which by the way took almost a whole day, no monsters attacked us. Do you think there's something going on?"

"I have no idea, but that does sound odd. You might want to talk to Chiron about it."

A conch horn sounded and people started to come out of their cabins and head to the mess hall.

"Breakfast time, we better go to our table."

The two of us headed to our assigned picnic table with a cloth over it and the other cabins went to theirs. I sat down next to Willow with my leg hanging over the edge and Naiads came out of the water and served us food. Just like in Percy Jackson, everyone lined of at the fireplace and dumped some of their food in. I went up and burned a delicious looking orange slice. As I did that I prayed to the gods, _Hermes or whoever my parent is, can you please claim me so I can have a home? _Then I went back to the table and ate.

After we ate, Willow and I snuck away to be the first time in awhile. We were walking around in the woods and finally found a creek. Next to it was a huge flat rock and so we sat on it. For some time we didn't talk, I just skipped rocks while she hummed.

"Lilly?"

"Mmmhmm?"

"Is this real or am I in a nightmare?"

"I was wondering the same thing for a while, except a dream instead of a nightmare, and then I realized that this is definitely real."

"That means that my gods don't exist."

"I think they probably do, it's just that you so happened to be a child of a Greek god instead."

"I suppose you're right."

"Ever since I got here I got a wider view on things. I think that all gods exist and people just think that you can only worship one or a set of them. From now on I worship all gods."

"That's a nice way to think about it. So a totally different subject: I think Seth is cute."

"My possible half-brother? He's got to be only fifteen."

"Yeah well, I'm only sixteen."

"You're going to be seventeen in a month and half though."

"Ok, ok, I just thought I'd tell you. Do you think anyone here is cute?"

"Yeah, all of the Aphrodite cabin. You know I don't date."

"Oh sorry, I forgot."

"Yeah right, you just wanted to know how deep my dedication went," I accused sarcastically.

"Ok, you're right. You caught me read handed," Willow said putting her hands up playing along.

"Who do you think your parent is?"

"I've narrowed it down to a god."

"Which one?"

"Not a single god just _a_ god because I feel the most repulsed my father. I love him and all but I don't really have a fatherly connection with him."

"And with your mother you do? I personally think you a daughter of Apollo."

Just then a glowing scale appeared over Willow's head.

"I know who your parent is now."

"What? How?"

"Look up." She looked up just before it disappeared.

"Who's that? Who's the scale?"

"Goddess of revenge and balance?"

"Um… I don't remember."

"It's Nemesis."

"Why claim me now?"

"Maybe it was a horrifying thought that you were Apollo's daughter."

"Maybe…" And we both started laughing. Once we stopped Willow suggested, "Let's go tell Chiron."

"Good idea."


	10. Chapter 10

As we were walking I have to admit that I was a little jealous. Hermes or whoever people thought my parent was then hadn't claimed me and Nemesis had claimed her. I was starting to think that Hermes wasn't even my real father. I could have just gotten my elfish features from my mother. She didn't look like one last time I saw her but she could have when she was younger. My love for practical jokes could have just been all me but I wasn't sure.

We reached the big house, just as we were about to walk in, I heard talking. It was Chiron and Jake. I stopped Willow with my arm and told her to be quiet and I listened.

"I don't think she is," Chiron said.

"I know she's a lot like him but I sense something more powerful coming from her. The strange this is that when she knew for sure that she was a demigod instead of her scent getting stronger, it got weaker," Jake explained.

"That is rather odd… I was looking Lilly's record and she doesn't have a birth certificate or anything. There are no doctor's notes, no birth records, and there isn't any proof that her mother has been to a hospital besides birth."

"Are you suggesting that the dad, who ran away from her, is actually her real father?"

"It may be so."

"Theirs is something really strange going on here. On the way here no monsters attacked, I mean I didn't even _smell _any."

"Do you think it's Lilly?"

"Maybe, it could have just been the way we took."

"Not possible, if there is a half-blood or better yet two, any monster within a fifty mile radius will find them."

Then we walked in. I was very confused by the idea that my mother wasn't my real mother. Did that mean I was adopted?


	11. Chapter 11

"Why hello girls, how are you?" Chiron asked.

Willow not seeming too surprised by what they just said answered, "I was claimed."

"How exciting! By whom?"

"Nemesis."

"Hmm… Not too many people around here get claimed by her. Usually if they do they end up adventuring off in the real world. Are you planning on staying?"

"I haven't thought about it yet. I am almost seventeen and all."

That was when I burst out:

"I'm ADOPTED?"

"Ah, it appears that you have been eavesdropping. As a matter of fact yes, I do believe so."

"Then who is my mother?"

"All I know is that she is a goddess and not a mortal."

"Then who's my father?"

"I'm not sure if we'll ever know. My resources are limited."

I stormed out of the house and walked through the magical boundaries. My car was still parked on the dirt road at the bottom of the hill and I got in. A second later, so did Seth.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Going for a drive; I need out for a while. Here's a better question: what are you doing in my car?"

"I was in the woods and I saw you. I came running here to see what was up."

"Why were you even in the woods?"

"Let's get say that I have some tricks up my sleeve for the next capture the flag."

"Oh great…"

"So what are you waiting for? Let's go!"


	12. Chapter 12

I put my car in drive and we started off. Seth turned on the radio and skipped around from station to station. We eventually ended up listening to, Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden. Some mystical force seemed to be pulling me towards Manhattan, New York. Even out of city limits, I could see the Empire State Building. That's where I drove to.

"Where are we going?" Seth asked.

"The Empire state Building. I'm finding out who my mom is."

"Wait, mom? I thought you were most likely a child of Hermes?"

"Yeah, well turns out I'm not very likely."

"Then you might need these," Seth said handing, me about ten golden coins. "Sometimes it takes a bribe to get in."

"What are they?"

"They're golden drachmas. Huh, it seemed like you knew your stuff. Guess I was wrong."

"No, I do, I just not that focused."

"There's ADHD for you."

After weaving in and out of traffic for a while we finally reached the third tallest building in all of the U.S.A. I marched into the building with Seth on my tail and stomped up to the person at the front desk.

"Six-hundredth floor, can you get me there?"

"There's no six-hundredth floor, sweetie."

It was a guy wearing a grey Italian suit. He had a bald head and stormy eyes that followed you like a picture. His name tag read Stew.

"Cut the shenanigans, I'm a half-blood, he's a half-blood and we need in."

"Do you have an appointment?" Not indicating whether there was a six-hundredth floor or not.

"I don't know, do we?"

I placed the golden drachmas one by one on the counter. Stew eyed the coins with great interest. He finally sighed and gave me a green key card.

"Run this along the card swipper. Make sure no one else is in the elevator with you, thank you and have a nice day.

"You too."

"Don't act like I'm saying that out of the kindness of my heart."

We walked over to the elevator and pressed the up button. When it came down we saw people in it.

"We'll wait," I said.

When it went back up, Seth pressed the up button again. This time it came down with no people in it so we stepped in. I swiped the card and we heard a ding. The lights turned green and when they went back to normal my card went "poof!" right out of my hand. Elevator music started to play, Monster Mash. You think they'd have better music on the way to Olympus.

"So what exactly are your plans?"

"I don't know, I'm playing it by ear. Probably just ask around if anyone knows who my mother is."

"Sounds good, I'll help. But if I see anything worth stealing, you're on your own."

"So pretty much everything. Oh great, now I'm on my own and you're going to die. How old are you?"

"I know I only look about fourteen or fifteen but I'm actually almost eighteen. My elfish features make me look a lot younger."

"That was a rhetorical question but ok. What do you think of Willow?"

"The other new girl? I think she's feisty but I like you better."

"I don't date, thank you very much. I follow the path of Artemis."

"Oh, that's cool I guess. Why are you asking?"

"She's kill me for saying this, but… She thinks you're cute."

As I said that the doors opened and it revealed a beautiful scene. It was so astounding that on a scale of one to ten it was infinity.

Imagine floating in the air or drifting on a cloud and that's the surface I was walking on. There was a gigantic mountain ten times the size of Mt. Everest with buildings all around and on it. The buildings were like our cabins except most of them didn't have walls and they were twenty times the size. There were gardens full of flowers that a garden expert couldn't even name. There was a huge amphitheater with nine goddesses performing on it. All around were minor gods and goddesses hanging out with satyrs or naiads or dryads along with a couple major gods/goddesses? Not too many of them I actually recognized from pictures on the computer. Only two I really knew for sure who they were; Apollo and Hermes. Hermes was the one I confronted.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hello, Lilly's the name," I greeted sticking my hand out. He shook it.

"Yes, I've heard all about you. You were the one that people thought was my kid but it turns out your dad is actually a mortal."

"Yep, that's me. I came here looking for my real mom. Do you know who she is?"

"Sadly not, but you may want to ask Athena. She is the goddess of wisdom and all." And for the first time he looked at Seth.

"Hello, son," Hermes said giving Seth a surprise hug.

"Hi dad…" Pulling away.

"I haven't seen you since you were a newborn!"

"Yeah… Thanks for being one of those parents that actually claims his children."

"No problem. Well you best be off on your way."

"Nice meeting you," I said.

"Bye," Seth replied.

We walked away and then I turned back.

"Lord Hermes? Where can we find Athena?"

"Oh right. Probably up that way," He said pointing north, "and to the left."

"Thanks."

Then we walked away for good this time. As we walked Seth grabbed my hand. I pulled away.

"Seth you know I don't date."

"I'm just nervous."

"What's to be nervous about?"

"Well I'm kind of freaked out about meeting my dad and nervous about seeing Athena." He grabbed my hand again and this time I allowed it.

"Well alright," I said hesitantly.

"So how did you know what my dad looked like?"

"The elfish features, curly blond hair, and the internet pictures."

"I didn't even know what he looked like."

"Well you probably didn't even believe in the Greek gods before you came to camp."

"No I didn't; I was Jewish."

"Respectable. I mean how many people _actually _believe in the gods before they come?"

"None that I've known and I've been here since I was twelve years old."

"Exactly."

We still had yet to turn left but we were almost there. We turned and ten feet ahead we saw a goddess sitting on a rock next to an olive tree. I let go of Seth's hand and jogged up to her.

"Are you Athena?"

"Yes I am."

"I'm Lilly; do you know who my mom is?"

"Ah… You're the girl that's been causing so many issues."

"I've been causing problems?"

"Yes you have. Have you realized that a lot of strange things have been happening around you? Well that's your doing."

"I hadn't noticed. Well when we drove to camp, no monsters attacked. Did I make that happen?"

"You did, and did you know that after you left every undetermined camper was claimed?"

"What? I did that? How?"

"You're using an untapped source of magic inside your mind that performs your will."

"What do you mean?"

"You were hoping that no monsters would attack you on their way so they didn't. When you were there you wanted some action so a monster came. You were wishing that you and the other demigods would get claimed so they did, except you."

"Why not me?"

"That is because you were already on your way to find out so it would defeat the purpose of the magic. Answering your original question: your mother is Hekate; goddess of magic."

"Can a normal daughter of her do this?"

"No, not normally; but as you have realized, you're not very normal. You can do this because you are very, very powerful."

"Why am I so powerful?"

"Because your father is a son of Zeus. Mixed with magic, it makes a lethal combination."

"My-my father?"

"Yes, but he is not as powerful as you though."

"How does Zeus feel about that?" I giggled.

"He is not very happy. He is actually debating on whether you should be destroyed or not before you will the downfall of the gods or something."

"What? I-I would never!"

"I wouldn't be so sure. You may get angry and do it out of frustration."

"I'm not that powerful, am I?"

"I doubt it, but you did have the power to influence a lot of the gods so it's possible. Nothing against you, but I think letting you live is a bad battle strategic."

"I have to go. Nice meeting you."

"And you, until we meet again."

I ran to Seth who was still standing where I had left him. I grabbed his hand and started running, pulling along with me. After I while I slowed down and we walked.

"Did you hear?" I whispered.

"Yeah… You must be pretty overwhelmed."

"Completely," I said exasperatedly.


	14. Chapter 14

I got in the car and a few moments later so did Seth. I drove away from the building with a secret and went towards camp.

"That was sure an attitude change," Seth pointed out.

"I decided I wasn't going to die so now I won't."

"That's pretty cocky."

"You heard Athena; my will is performed by magic."

"I guess, but don't you think it has limits?"

"Yes but if I could influence all the gods to claim their children at camp then don't you think I can influence Zeus not to kill me?"

"Whatever you say misses Know-It-All. Can we stop at Burger King or something though because I'm starving?"

"Got money?"

"Yes by chance I do."

"Did you steal it?"

"Well there was some money in your glove department and I may have taken a few bucks."

"Give it to me and I'll just pay." He handed me a gigantic wad of money. "A few bucks? This is probably my whole stash!"

I slapped him in the arm momentarily taken my hand and my eyes off the wheel and road. I heard a screeching and I looked out the window. A car was headed straight for me; it swerved away but was still only a few inches away from my car. It crashed in a ditch next to the road and I pulled over and got out.

"Oh my gods! Are you ok?"

No one answered so I ran to the car door. It didn't seem damaged too bad. Seth was still in the car and I called to him.

"Seth! Come here, I need help!" He got out of the car and jogged over.

"Are they ok?"

"I don't know. I can't see anyone in there."

"Did you try opening the door?"

"No I didn't. I wanted you to be here first before I did anything."

He walked up to the door and tried opening it. The door didn't budge so he tried the passenger door. With some force it finally opened and he peered in.

"Move, let me see!" I asserted. I looked in and saw an old man crumpled up and unconscious on the foot space of the driver's seat. "Help me pull him out."

Seth and I managed to pull him out and I checked his pulse. I couldn't feel one so I asked Seth.

"Nope, I don't feel one either."

"Ok, then let me try using magic."

"Can you? Do you even know how?"

"No, but I'll try."

I sat down next to the man on the ground and set my hand on his heart. I closed my eyes and imagined a white light coming from my hand and surrounding his heart, forcing it to beat. I checked his pulse in his neck again but still nothing. I repeated the same thing as before but this time chanting in my head beat, beat, beat. I checked his pulse again and thank magic he had one. The old man's eyes fluttered open and he looked at me.

"You made me wreck my car!" He said in a hoarse but strong voice.

"Yeah but she also saved your life. Your heart gave out and she performed CPR," Seth defended.

"Seth my phone is in the car, call an ambulance."

I turned my attention to the old man; he looked so old and fragile. He had dark blue eyes and no hair, short and slender. "Are you ok, sir?"

"Call me Edward, sir is what they called my father. Heaven forbid I'm not him." I smiled and helped him sit up.

"You must've hit your head pretty hard."

"No, I just have a weak heart. The scare of wrecking stopped it."

"Ah… I see. I'm so sorry."

"Don't sweat it, I'm alive aren't I?"

"Well you were technically dead for probably two minutes."

"This entire technicality thing is useless. Pfff… I'm ok now and that's all that matters."

"If you don't mind, my friend and I really have to go. Will you be alright until the ambulance comes?"

"Sure, I'll even cover for you; say it was my fault or something."

"Thank you Edward." I kissed him on the cheek and walked to my car. "Well are you going to get in?" I asked Seth through the window.

"Oh yeah, sure. Kill the guy, bring him back to life, and then just leave before the ambulance is even here."

"You want to take the chance of getting attack by monsters? I don't think so. Now shut up and get in the car."

"Whatever," he agreed getting in the back seat.

"Why are you sitting in the back?"

"I to catch some Zs but can we still get Burger King?"

"Yeah, I'm starved all of a sudden."

"Near death accidents do that to you, you know?"

"You got that right."

After eating our great meal of Burger King I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost midnight.

"Holy shoot! It's that late?" Seth had already dozed off so he didn't reply.


	15. Chapter 15

By the time we got back to camp it was already three. We probably would have been there an hour sooner but I was driving slowly because I didn't want to go back so soon. When I reached the base of the hill, I woke Seth up by slapping him in the face. I don't know why I didn't just say "wake up," or something. I guess I just felt like slapping someone.

"What was that for?"

"We're here."

"Oh, ok. I'm awake now so you want to go explore the woods?"

"Yeah just as long as we don't come across any of your tricks."

"We won't."

We got out of the car and walked up the hill back into magical boundaries. Seth grabbed my hand again.

"Why are you holding my hand this time?" I said agitated.

"This is just purely a friendly gesture."

"Whatever."

"I know this spot in the woods where there's this awesome lake. No one else knows about it so they can't find us there."

"That's sick! Let's go!"

"Race you to the woods."

"You're on!" So we ran to the edge of the woods and Seth beat me. "Ha-ha, I won!"

"Whatever."

"Follow me."

We were walking for about a half hour until I saw a clearing. Surprisingly none of the monsters designed for practice purposes found us. So the lake wasn't actually a lake, more like a _giant _puddle. The clearing formed a circle around it which made it seem all the more perfect.

"It's really pretty."

"Yep… Not too many if any have actually found this place since it's so far away."

"That's awesome!"

"Our own secret oasis."

"Just like in the books."

"Pretty much."

"I'll race you."

"Where?"

"Around the pond and back."

"You sure? I mean do you _want _to be creamed again?"

"You know that was almost a tie!"

"Twenty feet between us isn't a tie, silly!"

"In my mind it is."

"Ready, set, go! He started running before I even had the chance. I ran after him and passed him. Then surprisingly I won. I collapsed on the warm green grass and shut my eyes. I slept for the first time in thirty-six hours.

I woke up to the sunlight on my face and the sound of chirping birds. The place was even prettier in the daytime. Like the way the sun reflected of the water and how the shadows were five times the size of the real thing. I walked of the pond and waded in. I didn't need to roll up my jeans because I was wearing my favorite Capri's. They were black denim and had white roses winding around my legs. I was also wearing a black shirt with rainbow peace signs all around over.

The crystalline water was cool and revitalizing. I realized I didn't see Seth anywhere until I felt the pressure of a push on my back. I fell into the water and was immediately soaked. I got up and turned around but I already knew who it was. I grabbed Seth by his shirt and pulled him in with me. We splashed around for a while and then finally got out and laid side-by-side on the grass.

"That was a nice bath," Seth said sarcastically.

"Tell me about it," I agreed.

"We should head back; people are probably worried about us."

"As long as we come back sometime."

"Anytime." I got up and put my shoes back on, and then we walked to camp.

As soon as we got back, I saw that it was lunchtime and so we sat down at the Hermes table. There wasn't as many people so I wondered where they were. I remember that I had made all the demigods get claimed and I looked around. About six more tables were placed in the mess hall so now it was extra crowded. One or two people sat at each of them.

Willow was at a table alone, and I recognized a few old cabin mates sitting at the other new tables. A few more were sitting at the old tables and then I realized how little were still at the Hermes table. Only seven other people were there and there used to be like twenty. Something caught my attention and I saw a single boy sitting at one of the new tables. He had dark and shaggy hair and I walked over to him.

"Um… Hello? You caught my attention somehow and I was wondering: who is your godly parent?

"Hekate."

"That explains it… I'm her child too."

"Really? I didn't see you around when everyone else in the Hermes cabin got claimed. Even the people who were already claimed got claimed again."

"Yeah, I was at Olympus searching for my mom while that happened."

"Oh, so you weren't technically claimed?"

"Nope not yet, but I'm actually a very powerful demigod. Think of it like this: a child of Zeus' daughter mixed with magic and that's what I am.

"Wow, that's pretty powerful."

"My name's Lilly by the way."

"I'm Drake."

"Nice to meet you, bro."

"You too, sis."

Drake was a muscular looking guy with purple streaks in his dark hair. He had elfish features and I wondered if it ran in the family line. His eyes were brown and he had a piercing in his nose. He was wearing a black shirt with skulls all over it. He reminded me of a punk, like me.

"Wait you're really powerful and you were gone during the claiming; did you by chance cause it?"

"That's what Athena told me."

"That's just, wow. I didn't know a child of Hekate could be _that_powerful. Did you get to meet our mom?"

"No I didn't, just Hermes and Athena."

"That's still really awesome."

"Yeah, so where's Chiron? I probably need to talk to him."

"Last I checked he was teaching archery."

"Thanks."

"No problem."


	16. Chapter 16

I walked off and passed Willow's table. She spotted me trying to sneak past her so I just told her to take a rain check on explanation. I walked to the archery range and only saw a couple people so I walked to the big house. I walked in and finally saw Chiron reading _The Iliad _by Homer next to a fireplace.

"_The Iliad, _huh? It was a good book," I said.

"I was there you know? Gruesome war."

"Yeah, you taught the great Achilles himself."

"Very arrogant boy, the River Styx does that to you though. It makes you think you're invincible when you're really the most vulnerable."

"Yeah… I wouldn't know."

"And I hope you never do."

"I went to Olympus."

"Yes I know, child. We were all very worried, especially since Seth was also gone."

"He invited himself."

"Of course he did. Typical child of Hermes."

"I found out who my mother is and why all these strange things started happening."

"Why is that?"

"I am a child of a child of Zeus and Hekate." I told him all about what Athena had told me. "You want to know what I don't know though. How did all this start happening? Even when I suspected I was a demigod, strange this like this didn't happen."

"Well the answer to your question is that once you've realized you're one of the many children of the gods, you become more powerful. Finding out that you are a demigod must have activated your source of magic. About Zeus; it's not a surprise that he wants to smite you. Anyone who threatens his power usually ends up as a burnt crisp. We'll do our best to protect you. In the meantime, don't will the fall of Olympus."

"Well… I have this theory that if I could cause all those campers to get claimed, then I can get Zeus not to kill me. Is it probable?"

"I really can't say. We've never actually had a combination like you so I don't know your limits. Have you met your brother?"

"Yeah, Drake. I was actually talking to him right before I came here."

"Good. Then just practice magic with him until we know what to make of you."

"Ok then."

"Goodbye now."

"See you."

I left the big house and searched for Willow. Lunch was already over, but I wasn't hungry anyways. I ended up finding her in the sword arena practicing her skills. I grabbed a random sword that looked about my size, and practiced with her.

"Hey there," I said to Willow after we'd both collapsed on the ground.

"You have to tell me what happened," Willow replied in a breathless pant.

"Ok so-"

"In complete detail!"

After I had told her everything _in complete detail _she just nodded. After a second of taking it all in she replied:

"Well sounds action packed! After you ran out we started talking and I suggested we go on a quest."

"A quest for what?"

"Well I figured that it could just be to find your father. But who knows? Maybe it'll turn out to be something much more."

"My father abandoned me though and gave me away. He couldn't even let my real mother raise me!"

"Maybe she didn't want to."

"That's possible, I guess. But besides we don't know where he is or even who he is."

"That's why _you _can go consult the oracle."

"Who would even want to go with me though?"

"Jake and I, of course."

"Well I kind of just met my brother Drake and I want to take him along too. I can't leave you or Jake here, but I also kind of want to bring Seth."

"Maybe you should just ask the oracle then."

"I want to take all of you."

"Just go."

"Ok, but I'm definitely taking you."

"You better!"

"I'll tell you what it said when I get back."

"Just go already!"

"Fine!"

I walked back to the bug house and explained to Chiron what Willow had told me.

"The attic is where the oracle is. Just beware that not everyone comes back."

"Alive you mean?"

"Sometimes." That freaked me out even more than if he'd said yes.

I walked up five flights of stairs until I finally reached the attic. It was crowded with all the old battle mementos that heroes had owned but didn't want. One was a Minotaur horn; another was some old and dented armor, and just a bunch of other random junk. In the corner, sitting on a chair was a terrifying mummified corpse. It had tight prune skin and a tie-die sundress on. Jewelry was all about her, and she had long grey hair that was probably still growing.

"Can you tell me about my father and who I should take?" I waited awhile, actually sitting down before something happened. Green mist swirled out of her now open mouth and I was in the sea. A Naiad spoke to me but inside of gurgling, it came out as a raspy, old voice.

_In a week will be the depart,_

_ Two groups of three two cars will cart._

_ Be prepared and train well._

_ Find the one who has fell_

_ And bring him safely back._

_But only to be taken once more in a sack._

_While finding him, lose a few to the sea_

_And another is locked up without a key._

_Bring back the lost one;_

_Only then will your mission be done. _

I collapsed into the fetal position and had a complete mental breakdown. I knew Chiron said that people didn't always come back, but is this why? Would I be one of those people? I finally pulled myself together after what seemed like hours. I didn't know why I'd collapsed afterwards but while I was still on the attic floor it was perfectly clear. I saw Chiron in full centaur form when I walked out of the house. He was just standing there, staring at nothing.


	17. Chapter 17

"There you are! I was afraid you'd gone insane," Chiron greeted.

"Just about… How long was I up there?"

"About two hours. I was actually just about to come up there and check on you."

"Strange… It felt _a lot _longer."

"Yes, the oracle can do that to you."

"Tell me about it."

"So what did it say?" I repeated the prophecy to him and he pondered it for a bit. "Well to be truthful, it sounds unpromising."

"What a relief," I said sarcastically.

"You should go tell your friends that you're sane. They're worried about you."

"Good bye Chiron."

"See you later."

"If I don't die first."

The thing about being a half-blood is that you can say something like that and people won't get upset with you. It was completely true and highly possible. I didn't even know how to fight that well.

As I was walking I looked and all the demigods I saw. I didn't any of their names, and yet one of them was going to help me find my long lost father. I finally wandered into the Hermes cabin and saw Drake, Seth, and Willow. Even though everyone was claimed, all the kids whose parent didn't have a cabin still had to sleep in Hermes' humble abode. Drake saw me first and then waved to me.

"Hey bro, how goes it?"

"It goes good, how about you?"

"Hmmm… Well I'm still sane after going to the oracle, but only barely." Willow and Seth were talking and they saw us. They both got up and sat on a bed close to us.

"So what did it say?" I told them and I was really getting good at it because I'd said it two whole times. "That sounds good; _And bring him safely back_? That means we'll succeed."

"Yeah, but the next line is, _But only to be taken once more in a sack,"_ I counteract.

"Yeah and what about,_ While finding him, lose a few to the sea, and another is locked up without a key? _What could that possibly be?" Seth questioned. We debated over the lines for a while and finally came to a conclusion.

"Ok, ok, so the one who fell is Lilly's dad and we bring him back, but he gets taken away by something or someone we don't know," Willow sums up.

"You forgot to mention that we're supposed to look for him again and a few of us get lost in the sea while the other is stolen or something." Drake added.

"Yeah, that's really scary. I can't imagine losing one of you let alone a few plus one," I half sob.

"I know, but we should probably train tomorrow as if our lives depend on it," Seth suggested.

"Which they do," I reply.

"In the mean time, we should really get some sleep," Seth also suggested.

"I still want to know where we're supposed to even look for him. Also, who do you think the sixth person is going to be?" Drake asked.

"Who knows? We can just figure it out in the morning. Go to bed," Seth demanded.

"I say an Athena child; they're smart," I suggest.

"Go to bed!" Seth yelled.

By then everyone was looking at us. There were more people here then at the table today; but then again, there were new tables and all. I counted the people that were there and there was only eleven (that means that there were only eight real children of Hermes). Also that there were only two minor demigods (not including Drake, Willow, or I at all).

"Drake looked at his watch and it's only eight so we don't have too," Willow sassed.

"Then leave or something because I'm seriously wiped out, man," Seth pleaded.

"Whatever, let's just go find Jake and tell him," I suggested.

"Yeah, we probably should," Willow agreed.

"Who's Jake?" Drake asked.

"Our keeper."

"Oh, is her our fifth person?"

"More like the third, but yeah," I explained.

"What place am I?"

"You, you're the fifth," Willow cut in.

"I only met you today," I agreed.

"But I'm your brother."

"Yeah and Willow's _like _my sister. The thing though, is that I've known her more than a day."

"Can you just leave already?" Seth groaned.

"Oh sorry. We'll leave," Willow agreed. And we walked out.

We mainly had a conversation about politics or something. I don't exactly remember; I blocked it out. Finally after searching for Jake for ten minutes, we found him talking to an antelope.


	18. Chapter 18

"Jake!" I cried out.

"Lilly! I haven't seen you since yesterday. Where did you go?" He said running up to us.

"I'll explain, but let's sit down first."

"Why? I can stand?"

"It's a long story." We all sat down on the grass.

After I told Jake all that had happened since we left, and he looked scared. I mean freaked out, scared. Imagine a person minding their own business, swimming in a pond, and then they see a shark. That's what he looked like. Why exactly? I don't know, but the fact that he was, was a problem.

"So all and all, we're toast?" Jake assumed.

"No. We _are _going to be successful," I assured.

"Who's the sixth person even going to be? And what other car are we going to take? Who's that? And doesn't it bother you that we need six people?" He said breathlessly while pointing to Drake.

"The first two, I don't know the answer too, and your third," I said touching Drake on the shoulder."This is Drake, my half brother."

"Oh ok, you had me worries there for a second. I thought he was your boyfriend or something."

"Jake!" I yelled, slapping him right between the horns. "You know I don't date! That's just _gross _that you thought that!"

"Hey, it was just a thought."

"Well don't think it again!"

"Alright, alright. Sheesh," he said, putting his hands up.

"What does it matter to you anyway?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter, ok?"

"So will you come?"

"Of course! Wouldn't miss meeting your dad for the world."

"Good, well goodbye Jake. Train hard!" I walked away with Willow and Drake only a step behind me.

"That was so cute! Jake still likes you!" Willow exclaimed.

"What? He does not!" I yelled.

"I'm a guy and even I saw that," Drake agreed.

"Nobody asked you!" I shouted. We were a good distance away but I was sure Jake could still hear us so I quieted down. "Ok, he might, but it doesn't matter anyways. He's my best friend and that's all."

"You would break your rule for him wouldn't you?" Willow asked.

"No, of course not! I'm going to bed." I jogged away back to the cabin. As I ran I heard Willow say, "She so would." Then Drake replied, "Yep." Nice to my own brother was talking about me when I wasn't around.

In the cabin I saw Seth snoring away on the top bunk of a bed. This was the first time I'd ever attempted sleeping in the cabin. I climbed up the ladder and pushed Seth off the bed. I could have just told him to sleep somewhere else and he probably would have, but this way was more fun. He landed on a pile of clothes and didn't wake up. He must have really been tired.

I fell asleep to the sound of Seth snoring. It was even and calming, but at the same time loud. I woke up to the sound of shouting outside. I groaned and got up. I really needed to take a shower or something because I reeked.


	19. Chapter 19

I went outside after carefully stepping over some people that were still sleeping. I tried to find out where all the yelling was coming from and assumed it was coming from one of the cabins. I walked along all of the cabins and finally realized it was coming from the Hades cabin. I was almost too scared to walk in, frightened that I would startle them and they would kill me. Finally I decided to suck it up and then walked through the door. The skull almost hit me but I skillfully dodged it.

Without them even seeing me, I sat down on one of the bunks. Instead of their cabin being white on the inside like the Hermes cabin, it was black and red; red walls and black furniture. There weren't any kids sleeping on the floor so it was a lot roomier. They were fighting over who was Hades' favorite or something like that.

"Hello," I said. They jumped around and positioned themselves in a very accurate karate stance. There were only four but I highly doubted that I could take all of them. I held my fingers in the "I come in peace" position and they relaxed.

"What are you doing here?" A strong looking girl demanded.

"I heard fighting so I wanted to check it out."

"Well it's none of your business," A short boy boomed.

"Just curious. You know, if I was cat I'd be dead?" They didn't say anything. All they did was stare at me until I swore I was about to explode.

There were three boys and only one girl. The girl was the most important of them by far. She was surprisingly shorter than me, had pale blue eyes, and short curly brown hair. Even though she was short, I knew she could take me. Her eyes were really big; like a puppy's and I could tell could tell that she was really nice behind her tuff appearance.

"I'm Lilly, who are you?" They softened up and sat down really close to me.

"I'm Todd."

"I'm Jeremy."

"I am Logan." He put his arm out and flexed revealing _very _muscular arms. "Want to feel my muscles?"

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Logan, stop being so self-centered. Every time you meet someone you ask if they want to feel your puny little muscles. Guess what, nobody _ever _wants to!" She smiled at me and said, "Hi, I'm Alex. Alex is short for Alexandria if you didn't know."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thanks, my dad actually picked it out for me."

"That's so cool! We should hang out sometime. How come I haven't seen you around?"

"I've only been here for a couple days. I've been wandering about for a few years. Before that I was here, I've actually been here all my life, but I leave whenever I want."

"How long have you been here?"

"Fourteen years, including all the time I was gone."

"So you're fourteen?"

"Yep, but I'm fifteen in three months. How long have _you _been here?"

"The same as you, only a couple of days."

"Cool, we can hang out now. We only have an hour before archery practice."

"Then let's go!" She got up and walked out and I did the same. "I know this cool place in the woods. It takes a while to get there but it's definitely worth it."

"Ok, so who's your parent?"

"Hekate."

"The goddess of magic, right?"

"That's her. I had to go all the way to Olympus to find that out though."

"I have to hear that story!"

"You want it all or just that part?"

"Hmmm… Tell me it all!" So I told her all about my journeys. What happened at Olympus, the quest, the prophecy, and even a little bit about my life before I came here. Instead of pondering it like most people do, she replied immediately. "That's awesome! I mean I thought I was cool for being a super ninja, but that's just amazingness!"

"I guess… I'm still puzzled with the prophecy though. I don't who the sixth person is going to be, and I only have six more days."

"I could go if that's alright with you. I've been fighting monsters since I was six."

"Yeah! That would be awesome! So what's your story?"


	20. Chapter 20

"Well some things I had to be told but I remember most of it. When I was born, my mother died because there was no one to deliver me for her. The only one she ever had in her life that loved her since her parents died was my father, Hades. Hades was furious that he wasn't there to help her, and also really upset. He felt like he should do what she couldn't and raise me in the Underworld.

"Dad tried to keep me a secret from Persephone, but she ended up finding out about me and my mother. She kicked me out when I was only seven months old. I didn't know how to walk or talk, so I crawled. Finally a satyr found me and took me back to Camp Half-Blood. My satyr is dead now but he raised me until I was old enough to take care of myself.

"I learned about my mom and my dad, and trained to be a great child of Hades. I learned how to travel through the shadows, defend myself, raise the dead, and hide when I needed to. After learning all that I could there I left on a search for my dad. They told me there was an entrance in Los Angeles so I went there. I was only six, but I was _way _beyond my maturity level so I was ok.

"I spent the next year with him learning new skills. After I'd learned everything that I could from him, which by the way is everything a he can do without the immortality, I left. I came back to Camp Half-Blood for some reason I couldn't seem to put my finger on.

"It turned out that my satyr died of old age. He was alive before me _a lot _longer than I had known. I stayed there for another year afterwards and then left again returning every so often just for old time's sake. I just got back from that journey three days ago.

"I was living in the wild skipping from house to house; meeting a lot of people like that changes your reputation a lot. Being a child of Hades and fighting off monsters is the best training you could ever get."

"And you thought my story was cool. Pfff… Yeah right, yours is so much more interesting!"

"So I guess I'm perfect for your quest." By then we were to the pond, also known as the tropical oasis.

"Wow, this place is amazing! How did you find it?"

"Do you know who Seth is?"

"Nope."

"Well he's in the Hermes cabin, and he showed me."

"Cool, is he one of the four others?"

"Yep, he is."

"Then I'll get to ask him later how he found this place."

"You sure will."

"So what's it like to run away?" Alex asked, sitting down at the edge of the water. I sat down next to her, kicked my shoes off, and dipped my feet in the water; she did the same. "I mean I know what it's like getting kicked out of your home and leaving with people's knowledge of it, but I don't know what it's like to run away."

"It's-It's exhilarating, not knowing whether someone will try to stop you or follow you. It's really eye opening."

"Oh, I get it. It's like being in the regular world and not knowing if a monster will find you or not. Kind of like a deathly game of hide-and-seek."

"Yeah, exactly; except for me, not deathly."

"Shhh… I want to listen to all the noises." We sat there for a while listening the birds chirping and the naiads and dryads giggle. I think we both really enjoyed the silence. "Oh gods! Archery practice!" Alex exclaimed, shattering the peace into a million tiny pieces.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry for making you late!"

"Don't say sorry, let's just run."

"Sounds good. I could run a mile right now!"

"Good because you have to."

"I'll race you back!"

"You're on!" We started running and I beat Alex by a second or two. "You're a fast runner! That'll be good in the outside world."

"Yeah, but Seth in the Hermes cabin always beats me."

"Well duh! He's in the Hermes cabin, god of traveling?"

"Oh, well I never thought about it like that."

"I got to go. We should hang out again sometime."

"Sure."


	21. Chapter 21

I ended up walking back to the pond. I was way past due on meditating and that was the only quite place I knew of. Alex was a really cool girl with a lot of outside experience; it was hard to believe she was only fourteen. Regardless of her age, she was perfect for the quest. I was only sixteen and turning seventeen in a week. I didn't even realize that until the walk back to my oasis.

My thoughts quieted down until all that I heard in my mind were some random songs. I reached the pond and dipped my feet back into the cool water. I closed my eyes and relaxed by body. I entered the near-sleep realm of my mind and then finally mediated. After what seemed to be a long time I opened my eyes and looked at the position of the sun. It was a little past its highest peak so probably about one or two in the afternoon. I walked back and saw that it was lunch. I didn't eat breakfast so I was famished.

I walked over to the Hekate table and collapsed onto the marble bench. Drake wasn't there, and that definitely didn't make the buzzing of everyone's voices quiet down. I could tell that something had happened but I didn't care enough to find out.

When the food was served to me, I almost forgot to offer some. I slumped over to the fire and scraped a baked potato in. I prayed to the gods inside my mind, _Hekate, er… mom? Can you please claim me, just so everyone else can know for sure I'm yours? _I felt a tingling sensation inside my body and I could tell it was a yes. I walked over to the table and gobbled my food up.

After eating I walked into the Hermes cabin. Since there wasn't anyone in there, I decided to take a nap. I climbed up to a top bunk and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I don't know why I was so tired, I just was.

_I was in a stranger's house yet I knew I had seen it from somewhere before. It was Victorian style and very big. There was a man that I thought was my father standing in the kitchen cooking Macaroni and Cheese on his stove. He was a short man with blond hair, and when he turned around, I saw his hazel eyes. It was then that I knew for sure he was my father. He muttered a few words that I couldn't hear when some of the boiling water splashed out of the pot and burned him. _

_ All of a sudden he disappeared. All that was left was an apron on the ground where he was standing. I collapsed to the ground and started crying. Where could he have gone? Who took him? Why am I so upset? _


	22. Chapter 22

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder ferociously. I opened my eyes and saw Drake's purple streaks. It looked like the middle of the night out but I could have been mistaken.

"Drake?"

"Why were you crying?"

"What?"

"You were crying when I walked in. I came here to tell you that dinner was ready. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just had a bad dream."

"What was it about?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Alright. You need to get up though, it's dinner."

"Already?"

"Yeah, and after that we have a slot scheduled to take a shower."

"Oh goodie!" I rolled over not realizing that I was on the top bunk until I fell to the ground on my back. "Oomph! "  
>"You clumsy girl! Here, grab my hand," Drake said. He jumped off the ladder to the top bunk and offered me a helping hand. I grabbed it and pulled myself up.<p>

"Thanks, let's go get something to eat." We walked to the door and to the mess hall. We sat down at our special Hekate table and ate like monsters. You know the drill, offer food and then eat; well I almost ate my food first again. I offered the biggest and juiciest orange slice I had and then sat back down.

It was a special night apparently because Chiron held up his glass and yelled "to the gods!" like he always does, but there was some sense of excitement in his voice to. Everyone else did the same but I didn't because I didn't have a drink so I just yelled, "to the gods!" like everyone else. Instead of all the regular old camp food there were t-bones, rolls that practically had butter dripping off of them, red and plump grapes, giant oranges, and even pomegranate seeds.

"Pomegranate seeds! Ok, this is just to be good to be true! What's the occasion?" I asked Drake with food coming out of my mouth.

"Didn't you hear? They're going to build all us minor demigods' cabins!"

"Really? That's awesome! I'm tired of sleeping odd hours because I don't want to sleep with all of those people around!"

"Is that why you never sleep at regular hours? I thought it was just because you didn't care about time."

"Well both of those but mostly the time. This is so awesome!"

"Here's the thing: we have to start training tomorrow; day and night. Right up until we go on our quest."

"That's fine. I'm worried though…"

"Why?"

"I've been here two whole days and I've had no training yet whatsoever. We only have five more days tomorrow and I'm freaking out!"

"Well with your natural monster repellent I'm sure you can keep the monsters away."

"But what if it fails? What if I only have so much and it fails?"

"It's not going to fail. You want to know why? I'll tell you why. It's because as long as our mother continues to exist your magic has an endless supply."

"What if she ceases to exist?"

"She won't because everyone here knows she exists so that is not possible."

"Fine… So what do I need to do to train?"

"Well, I have more experience at actually performing magic than you so you need to learn the basics. You also need to get a sword and armor fitted and get some practice at that. Capture the flag is tomorrow, which is Wednesday, after dinner so that'll be good practice. We have sword practice also and we're facing the Hephaestus kids. That'll definitely be good because their tuff but they won't go easy on you. And then there is a bunch more we can do separately.

"You're going to have to start sleeping at regular hours and you can't just wander off for long periods of time anymore. You need to be responsible because this is serious."

"That's a lot of stuff… I can handle it though with you on my side helping me."

"You better be able to," He said smiling at me.

"So I was planning on sleeping in the woods tonight. You want to come with me?"

"In the woods? Isn't that dangerous?"

"You'll see if you come that where we're headed, it's not. "

"Is anyone else going?"

"Now that you mention it, no."

"Good, I feel like I don't spend enough time with my sister alone."

"Yeah, I mean I feel like I hardly know you."

"Well I was born—"

"Not now! Just tell me when we get there."

"Let's grab some blankets and see if we can get someone in the Hermes cabin to steal some snacks for us."

"They're kind of like a black market, aren't they?"

"You could say that…"

"Let's see if they can steal us some pop and chips."

"Sounds amazing! I haven't had either in forever!"

"I haven't had any since two days ago."

"Oh boohoo! You poor little baby!" Then he took my head in his arm in an attempted half-nelson. But if I do say so myself, it failed. We both started cracking up like new born ducklings.

All of a sudden everyone got quiet and was staring at us. I got really insecure especially when even Drake turned his head and gasped.


	23. Chapter 23

"Why did everyone get so quiet?" I asked naively not noticing the powerful presence behind me.

"Look," he said pointing to something just out of my peripheral vision.

I turned around and saw an astoundingly beautiful woman. She had very dark brown hair like mine eyes that changed to impossible colors every time she moved, even if it was the tiniest bit. The mystery woman who I then knew was a goddess had a pointed nose, pointy ears, and laugh line around her eyes and mouth. She was astoundingly tall—still a possible height for a human though—and _very_ curvy. She was my mother…

"Hello, my children," she said in a voice so smooth that it could have left the coolest person in the world stuttering.

"M-m-m-mom?" I stumbled over my words. Everyone was staring but I hardly noticed.

"My dear Lilly, it's nice to see you after all these years… You wanted to see me so I came."

"You didn't have to."

"Oh but your magic works on me too. Even the one who gave birth to you is prone to your amazing powers."

"Uh…" was my very intellectual response.

"And how have you been Drake?"

"Good?"

"That's nice. I thought I would stop by and talk to you," she said turning towards me. "Maybe somewhere a little more… private," the goddess of magic said glancing around at all the curious eyes.

"Sure we can go somewhere private." I got up and Drake did too.

"Can I just talk to Lilly, honey?"

"Oh yeah, sure, sure," he said looking embarrassed.

"Thank you," our mother said sweetly. She kissed him on the forehead and it glowed in a deep purple creating the shape of a magic wand. I guess the immortal can make fun of themselves too. "We can talk later."

"Yeah… That would be awesome." She walked away and I followed.

I wasn't sure where she was taking me but somehow I knew that anywhere I went with her would be safe. Hekate was wearing a long purple satin dress with sleeves that came all the way down to her elbows. It was really beautiful seeing her move like she was just another part of the scene. She wasn't wearing shoes which was more my style and had perfectly painted black toenails.

She was pale white and she moved like a tigress talking its prey. Everything about her seemed perfect especially the way her long, dark, and curly hair flowed down her back. Don't let her appearances fool you though because she had a bracelet on and I could just somehow tell that it could turn into a lethal weapon if she wanted it to. We ended up at the edge of the woods near the hill with the giant pine tree on it. She stopped and so did I.

"I came here to talk to you about your father," my mother explained. "He's in a lot of trouble right now and he needs to be saved. Right now the only thing I can tell you is the general area he's in and what he was like.

"Your father's name is Casper Hart and as you know, he is the son of Zeus. I met him at a magic show, ironic huh? He was the magician and I was the person he called up to volunteer. I was there because I find mortals doing "magic" extremely funny to watch.

"So anyways, he pulled a bouquet of flowers out of his sleeve that were all white roses; my kind of favorite flower. Attached to the flowers was a note that said, 'Meet me at the coffee shop after the show.' And I was charmed.

"You were born and then your father skipped out because he couldn't handle it. It's not that he didn't want to raise you, just that he wasn't ready. I left you on the doorstep of a woman that I had watched and knew was a perfect match to raise you. I returned to my home in the Underworld but I still watched over you and was prepared to help if something went wrong.

"I would have taken you in with me and raised you myself but I knew that it would be better for you if you were raised as a regular child. And look at you now. You didn't even discover that you were a half-blood until you were sixteen years old. That's very good by regular standards.

"So about your father… As I said, he's in a lot of trouble right now. You can find him in the Sea of Monsters, but where exactly I can't tell. Find him and bring him back to Camp. Here you can decide on what you want to do with him."

"Why can't you tell me where he is exactly?"

"It will put you in even more danger than you already are. Now I have to go talk to your brother. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Nice to know." She kissed my forehead just like she did to Drake and I saw purple light in front of my face. She awkwardly hugged me and then vanished.

She was probably appearing right in front of Drake scaring the wits out of him. I laughed at the thought. I wasn't going to let her visit ruin our camping trip though so I jogged to the Hermes cabin. There was only one person in there so I asked them. They said they would have what we wanted to us in within twenty minutes or less. People were probably still eating so I decided to take my shower a little early.


	24. Chapter 24

**I walked into the little stone building that I've only actually been to a few times since my arrival. The showers were right across from the toilets but the door was opaque so I felt better… The shower water was nice and hot against my rugged, dirty skin. I stood in the shower until I heard the other Hermes' cabin girls come in. Once they were all in the showers I turned the water off and redressed. I ran out with no shoes on because I really didn't feel like wearing my bright orange men's Converse. I nearly knocked my mother down as I ran because I wasn't paying attention at all to where I was going. **

"**Oh, sorry mom! I didn't see you!" I said blushing. **

"**No need for apologies… You must have a lot on your mind."**

"**Yeah, I do. There's just so much training I need to do. Practice magic, practice defense, practice offense. I don't even have a sword or a shield."**

"**That reminds me… A daughter of Hekate shouldn't be using a sword as her only weapon. I have a couple things to give you that will help on your journey a great deal."**

"**What are they?"**

"**A bow with an endless supply of arrows. And just like the Huntresses' bows they will appear slung over your shoulder whenever you need them. Also a necklace that when you touch it will turn into a very lightweight impenetrable shield. Last but not least, magic armor that just the same as your bow will appear on you when you will it to." **

"**Thank you so much!" **

**She handed me an armor suit that was just like the ones in Greek times except it was completely white. I strapped in on with the help of my mother and it vanished before my very eyes. It couldn't even feel it on me; ah… the powers of magic. Mom also handed me a hand crafted rainbow long bow and a jet black quiver. I slung the quiver over my shoulder along with the bow and the both disappeared. The fact that the bow was rainbow was completely amazing. Then she handed me a simple chain necklace with a locket attached that was in the shape of a skull. It was cool because the skull was black and it had really real looking white flames enveloping it. I opened it and saw a note tucked in on one side and a picture of me with all my new friends on the other side. I don't know how she got a picture of all of us since we'd never even taken a picture together; but hey, she's a goddess. I left the note and what the design of the shield was to be discovered in private. **

** "Also, just so you know, the bow and armor are also impenetrable so you'll be safe." She may be a goddess but she **_**was **_**a mother and concerned about my safety. **

** "Thank you so much! Did you give Drake anything?" **

** "He got similar things to your, yes. You can't just give something to one kid and not the other if they're going to be fighting together. I need to return to the Underworld though, but I'll be seeing you in the future." She started to glow and I averted my eyes knowing what would happen if I looked. **

** I stood there speechless until the sun had set completely. I heard people behind me and saw my cabin mates returning from their showers. I saw Willow but the only person I really needed to see was Drake. I spotted him with damp hair exiting the boys' lavatory and ran to him. **

** "Hey, I asked a Hermes girl to steal some food for us. She should be meeting me in the cabin any minute now." **

** "Don't you actually have to be there to be meeting her? But anyways, I'll get some spare blankets and pillows from the Big House. Meet you in front of the Hermes' cabin in ten minutes?"**

** "Sounds good."**

**I skipped to the Hermes' cabin leaving Drake in the dust and saw the girl I'd asked to steal the food for us lurking behind the cabin after I had looked inside of it for her. She saw me and handed me a twelve-pack of Coca Cola, one bag of Jones' Salt and Vinegar chips, and one bag of Cheetos. I thanked her and gave her two golden Drachmas and she told me it was no big deal. I grabbed a duffle bag and stuffed the food in it. I walked outside and saw Drake walking out of the Big House with a big wad of cloth. When he reached me he handed me one giant blanket, two smaller ones, and two pillows. I stuffed them in the bag making sure I didn't crush the chips. **

** "You have to carry it, you know?" **

** "Fine. But only half way," he agreed. **

** "Sounds like a deal." **

** "Only not, if our ears deceive us."**

** "Wow. That was really deep. Do you write poetry?"**

** "I've written a couple poems. I really only dawdle in the poetic fields."**

** "Isn't that what we all do?"**

** "True, so true."**

** "Well we should really be on our way."**

** "Do we need a flashlight?"**

** "Only if the moonlight isn't good enough for you."**

** "I can do without. Lead me there."**

** "Follow me," I beckoned him. He picked up the duffle bag off of the floor and slung it over his shoulder. I walked towards the woods. We didn't talk so all I heard was the crunching of our footsteps on the worn dirt. A few times I heard the call of a monster but I willed it to stay away so we didn't get confronted by any. Yes, I was dying to use my new stuff but I needed more practice with my bow before I could do that. The moonlight only illuminated a few feet in front of us but it was enough. Artemis was my patron goddess and I trusted her to guide me there safely. **

** The two of us entered the perfectly circular clearing with the medium-sized pond right in the middle. Drake had ended up carrying the bag the whole way so he spread the giant blanket out on the grass. He placed the pillows next to each other and spread the two smaller blankets over the larger one; one on top of the other. I wished that somehow we could sleep on top of the water but there wasn't any **_**possible **_**way. We heard a noise and I looked at the water instinctively.**

** "What was that?" I wondered aloud.**

** "I don't know but it sounded like it was coming from the water." He walked over to the pond and touched his toe to where the water should have been. I was expecting it to cause ripples but instead I heard a light tap. "I think it's covered by something; glass maybe…"**

** I closed my eyes and focused on it. The water was covered by a three inch thick glass cover. The whole pond was covered so it was safe to walk around on. I told Drake my newfound knowledge and he stared at me with wide eyes. **

** "You did this, didn't you? You **_**were **_**wishing we could sleep on the water…"**

** "Yeah and now we can!" It was awesome being powerful.**

**I knew my monster hunting aura would become stronger once I allowed the monsters to start attack when the Fates had planned. I grabbed the edges of our blanket-bed and dragged it over to the center of my very own aquarium. I'd never noticed before this that there were actually fish swimming around in the water. Drake seemed hesitant to follow me. **

** "Come on Drake! The water's fine!" **

** "Are you sure we're not going to fall in?" **

** "I haven't have I?" I said jumping up and down. **

** "Ok…" Drake put one foot down on the glass and slowly walked over to where I had moved the blankets. He still had the bag with all of the food slung over his shoulder. "This. Is. Awesome."**

"**I know! Magic rocks!"**

** "Completely."**

**He set the bags down next to the blankets and sat himself down cross-legged on the blanket. I did the same thing right in front of him so that both of our knees were touching. I was so glad he was my brother; otherwise I may have not met him. Something deep within me told me though that it was the fates that put us together and I would have met him even if we weren't siblings. **

** "So what's your story?" I asked curiously.**

"**Well I came here when I was eight years old. My father told me to get in the car and drove me all the way from Omaha to the camp without giving me the slightest hint as to what was going on or where we were going. He pulled my screaming and crying self out of the car and set me up on the hill. He walked away and never looked back. Luckily Chiron told me where I was and started my training. **

"**I turned twelve and I saw the prettiest girl I'd ever laid my eyes upon walk past me. Her name was Alex and she was a daughter of Hades." That hit me hard. Alex? The same girl who was going on the quest with us? He continued on, "To my disappointment she left a day later… I learned as much about her as I could from Chiron who seemed reluctant to tell me. I found out that she was a year younger than me and had been at camp all her life. I continued on with my life and as it turned out she came back a year and a half later. It was when I was just about to turn fourteen. **

"**I finally got the nerve to talk to her and she shot down every flirtatious thing I said. She left again two days later and I became sad. I heard she just got back two or three days later and that she's planning to stay a while. I don't have the guts to talk to her so I've been avoiding her as best as I can. Other than her I've been training and stuff like that."**

"**Wait a second… Alex; the daughter of Hades?"**

"**The very same one. It was only until you got here that I got over her. Ironically enough that was about when she came back too…"**

"**How mad would you be if I told you that she was the sixth person that's coming on this quest?"**

**Are. You. Kidding. Me. You invited her?" **

"**I'm sorry but you need to suck it up and deal with it. Nothing even happened between you two and she has exactly the kind of experience we need!"**

"**Lilly… I realize she is the most qualified out of all of us but if she goes I am **_**not **_**riding in the same car as her."**

"**Whatever, just as long as you're both coming."**

"**Want some chips and pop?"**

"**Zeus yeah, I do!" I heard a distant thunder clap. "Sorry Zeus!" I yelled up to the sky. Drake's head fell into his lap while he tried to suppress his laughter. **

"**That's funny! I'm going to have to start saying that."**

"**Zeus yeah, you should!" And then I yelled up at the sky again, "Still sorry, Zeus!" Then Drake couldn't take it anymore and he burst into laughter. I joined in and we laughed until we were clutching our stomachs and there were tears welling up in our eyes. Looking back on it, it wasn't really all that funny. I guess when people haven't laughed for a while then they just find lame excuses to do so.**

"**Ok, ok; we should really get some rest. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow," Drake said wiping the tears out of his eyes. **

"**Fine," I said reluctantly. I fell asleep on the little homemade bed and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.**

**It was a sleepless night pretty much. There was probably a dream or two but I just didn't remember. I would have remembered though if they meant anything. I woke up to the sound of a muffled, "Whoa." I hesitantly opened my eyes and looked around. **

**We were still on the glass surface over the water and Drake was still sleeping so I let him be. I looked around the circumference of the trees and saw Alex melt out of a shadow. She walked over to the edge of the pond and looked at me. **

"**Did you do this?"**

"**Yeah, unintentionally though."**

"**That… is awesome!"**

"**Shhh… Quiet down. Drake's still sleeping."**

"**Oh sorry… I came here because I needed a time out. This place might be the reason I stay here for longer than a year." I walked across the glass and stopped when I got about two feet in front of her. **

"**Oh wait!" I ran back to Drake and grabbed all of our stuff. All that was left on the pond was him. "Want to see something funny?"**

"**Sure," She agreed. I closed my eyes and focused on the water returning to normal. We heard a splash. **

**We saw Drake wet, and flailing around in the water. Alex was laughing so hard she fell down and grabbed her stomach. I laughed too, just not **_**that **_**hard. **

"**That was **_**not **_**funny!"**

"**Then why are we laughing?" I asked with a smile. **

"_**We?**_**" He asked. I pointed to Alex who was still on the ground laughing. "What's she doing here?" Drake asked, his face horrified.**

"**You don't look too happy to see me," Alex said rising from her hysterical laughter. "Hey, do I know you from somewhere?"**

"**Um…"**

"**Oh wait! I remember! You're that kid with the lame pick-up lines! **

"**Um… Yeah…" Drake said shyly. Drake was out of the water and he was completely soaked and shivering. **

"**Here let me warm you up," Alex offered. Drake's lit up and then went back down when he must have realized that might look stupid. She snapped her fingers and a towel appeared over Drake's shoulders.**

"**Thank you."**

"**No problem."**

"**So… Do you want to go on a walk through the woods with me…?"**

**Alex thought about it for a moment, "Sure, I'd love to."**

"**Do you mind Lilly?" Drake said taking me into consideration. **

"**No, I don't mind. Go ahead and go on a walk," I said emphasizing that I wanted him to go. He looked at me one last time and then turned towards Alex. **

"**Ready?"**

"**Ready as I'll ever be." She started walked and didn't look back to see if Drake was following her. He did though so looking back would be a wasted effort anyways. I turned towards the pond and sat down. Looking back at them one last time, I saw Drake hesitantly grab Alex's hand and she jumped a little from the unfamiliar touch and then she must have decided to allow it. It was so adorable. I concentrated on the water and made it go back to normal. I decided that I was going to go eat some food. I was starving… **

**I walked into the woods and after a while I started to realize that I heard footsteps behind me. They sounded too loud to be Drake or Alex's or even Chiron's. And I didn't think I knew anyone that weighed one-thousand pounds… I swirled around and saw it.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay sorry, I know this is my first Disclaimer so here it is: I, SoulessDivinity, do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians (sadly)  
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**An elephant sized silver lion. When you're at the zoo there are lions, right? Imagine one of those lions and times it by six then paint it silver. That's what was in front of me with no cage, no glass, and no protection. I muffled a scream with my arm and noticed that my armor was visible and that my bow was slung over my shoulder. **

**I had no training and I could barely use my magic. I didn't even know if it would work on something that breathed. I was frightened. Completely terrified, I should say. **

**The Nemean Lion lunged at me and I tuck and rolled to the side. I notched my bow and pulled with all my might to draw the bow and I shot it at the monster. Thank the gods that I had excellent aim. It hit it on hide and it just deflected off. How was I supposed to fight a monster that is impenetrable? I remembered the story about how Heracles defeated the Nemean Lion. He had… um… he had choked it to death. How was I supposed to do that? I decided that I'll put off how to kill it for a bit and just try to stay alive. **

**It jumped at me again and I dived to the side but its massive claws just barely managed to graze my cheekbone. If I wouldn't have moved, well, there would be a half-dead body laying on the ground pouring out blood and it wouldn't be the lion. **

**I shot another arrow at it but that just agitated it even more. My face burned and I was desperate. I started climbing the first tree that crossed my path. Luckily, it was a Pine tree and had a lot of branches to stand on and I was light enough to not break them. **

**When I got high enough to the point where the limbs started cracking underneath my feet I found a branch sturdy enough to sit on. I was about fifty feet and I was praying that the lion couldn't jump that high. I saw the monster circling the tree beneath me. Should I try fighting again, should I try and use magic, or should I wait until someone more skilled finds me? I don't know, I don't know! I decided that I'd wait a while and then try and use magic. After waiting for what seemed to be over an hour, I sighed. **_**Guess I have to try magic now… **_**I thought to myself. I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer to my mother. **_**Hekate, please allow my magic to be enough to defeat the lion? Please, please, please. **_**With my eyes still closed I imagined the lion sinking down to the size of an ant. Sure enough, I looked down and I couldn't see the Nemea anymore. **

**I climbed down and searched the ground. I finally found the ant-sized lion trying to flee the premises. I was debating over whether I should shot it or take it back to Chiron because if it doesn't die and there's way to keep it contained then nobody will have to worry about it coming back and attacking someone else. I put the little lion in my pocket hoping it would escape and slumped down against a tree and closed my eyes. Lions are deadly, if you think they aren't.**

"**Hey, that was pretty brave of you," an unfamiliar voice said. A young girl emerged from a tree and smiled at me. She had long and wavy brown that matched the color of the bark. She was albino pale and she had green eyes.**

"**Are you a nymph?" **

"**Tree nymph to be exact, or a dryad if you want," she offered. Her voice was scratchy but bold. She probably didn't talk much so I understood. **

"**You saw?"**

"**Yeah, the tree thing was pretty clever. I'm Maple."**

"**Is your home a Maple tree?"**

"**No they don't grow much out here. My tree's an Oak."**

"**That's funny."**

"**What's so funny about it?" **

"**Never mind." Somehow I knew trying to explain tree humor to a dryad was hopeless.**

"**Ok… So are you a child of Hekate?"**

"**How did you know?"**

"**I can smell magic from fifty miles away. No, just kidding. Seeing the lion shrink down unexpectedly is how I know."**

"**Oh, well that explains it."**

"**Completely! Don't you have any friends or siblings or something that could have helped you? Even though you had it taken care of, friends could have prevented that nasty wound." Maple touched my left cheek and I flinched. "Oh sorry. I can fix that for you. Tree magic can do you wonders…"**

"**Would you?"**

"**Oh sure, no problem."**

**She touched my cheek and hummed an odd tune. It started out melancholy but then ended on a cheery note but at the same time mysterious. I could actually feel my cheek wound closing up. I touched my cheek and it felt just like before. **

"**There will always be a little mark there but not like if it would have healed on its own."**

"**Thank you!"**

"**Don't mention it." She seemed startled. "I have to go! I'll be seeing you later." Maple gave me a hug and then disappeared into her oak tree. **

**She smelled like nature; nature smelled good on her. I heard voices. I grabbed my bow that was still resting against the tree beside Maple's and notched an arrow. Alex appeared, still holding hands with Drake and stopped in her tracks. **

"**Whoa there, I'm no monster," Alex rationed. I took the arrow out of my bow and slung it over my shoulder and it disappeared. My armor was gone too but that had already disappeared when I had found no threat in the lion anymore. **

"**Alex, Drake! Didn't you hear any of what just happened?"**

"**No, not at all…" Drake said quizzically. "What happened?"**

"**I was attacked by a Nemean Lion! And you didn't hear any of that?" **

"**No," Drake repeated. **

"**Tell us what happened exactly," Alex demanded. I told them about attempting to fight it, climbing the tree, using magic to shrink it down, and then about Maple.**

**When I mentioned Maple she just so happened to dissolve from her tree. The others didn't notice because they had their backs to her. Alex noticed me falter when I saw her and turned around. Drake did too, acting like he knew what was going on when he really didn't. Maple walked up to us and introduced herself. **

"**Hi, I'm Maple. Tree nymph," she stuck her hand out. Alex shook it right away but Drake just stared at it incredulously. Kind of like he couldn't believe she was insane for trying to touch him. **

"**How come you didn't help her?" Drake yelled. Maple shrunk backwards with her back to her tree. **

"**I—I'm sorry. It l-looked like she had it under control," Maple stammered. Alex placed her hand on Drake's arm in the attempt to try and get him to calm down. The Maple's relief, he did. **

"**As long as you're alright," Drake added. He glared at Maple, signaling that he was still mad at her. **

"**Why are you so overprotective?" I asked sounding annoyed. **

"**Overprotective? I am not!" **

"**Yes you are! You got mad at her for not helping me but it was her tree I climbed up!"**

"**I didn't know that!"**

"**You are so hopeless!" I spit the word hopeless out and then walked away. I turned around and asked in a sweeter tone, "Do you want to come with me, Alex?"**

"**No, I'm going to stay here with Drake."**

"**Whatever," was my reply and I walked back to camp. I looked over at Half-Blood Hill and saw two people. I ran up there as invisible as I could and hid behind the tree. The people, as I could now see, were a short girl and a tall boy. They were only about ten feet away so I tried to be as quiet as possible. Even with my efforts the little girl still looked me right in the eyes. **


End file.
